The present invention is related to an improved spacing flange for a kneading machine. More specifically, the present invention is related to an adjustable spacing flange for connecting a gear box to a kneading machine.
Kneading machines are widely used in the industry. A kneading machine comprises a gear box which rotates, often with translation, a shaft wherein the shaft has flights thereon. An exemplary kneading machine is described in U.S. Publ. Pat. Appl. No. 2012/0039145 which is incorporated herein by reference.
During assembly the kneader and the gear box are mounted to a frame such that mating flanges are in a mating relationship and the flanges are joined such as by threaded members. Due to the weight and size of the kneader and gear box it is extremely difficult to mount both elements such that the flanges mate exactly. Therefore, it is almost a certainty that a spacer will be required between the two flanges. The typical procedure is to fabricate a spacer with a thickness which is the same as the separation between flanges. This is time consuming and inaccurate often leading to insufficient coupling.
There has been a long standing need for a shaft spacing flange which can be used between a gear box and a kneader which is easily translationally adjustable and capable of withstanding the torque applied by rotation and the pressure applied by oscillation.